Poll shows her approval rating at 5 percent, the lowest for an incumbent leader since late 1980s

In an extraordinary display of abject apology during a moment of supreme crisis, South Korean President Park Geun-hye took sole blame on Friday for a "heartbreaking" scandal amid rising suspicion that she allowed a mysterious confidante to manipulate power from the shadows.

Park also vowed to accept a direct investigation into her actions, but the opposition, sensing weakness, immediately threatened to push for her ousting if she doesn't distance herself from domestic affairs and accept a prime minister chosen by Parliament.